Swimming
by bananahana
Summary: Tyler is a swimmer, swimming is what he does but what if his dedication isn't driven only by his love for the sport? Bumped up the rating because of the latest chapter x
1. Chapter 1

The water rushed to meet him as he pushed off the blocks, his arms stretched, strong and ready, out in front of him. His legs were held perfectly behind him as he entered with only a small splash and powered through the first few meters. His arms pulled him up and out, letting him take his first breath as he began his first length. Arms, legs, arms, legs, arms, legs. He fell into his stroke naturally, gliding through the water with almost no effort. The cool, chlorinated water pressed into his body like soft silk. He focused on his breathing, in and out, in and out, as he ducked his head in time with the stroke. Breaststroke wasn't his best swim but it was his favourite. The feeling of power that came from each pull and kick was so good and the long stretch of his muscles between strokes calmed and soothed him. Tyler Simms was a swimmer, pure and simple, even if he wasn't the strongest or the biggest. But swimming wasn't just his sport, it was his escape. He let all his emotions drift away as he pulled his mind to the job at hand: arms, legs, arms, legs, pull, push, pull, push. Tyler felt his entire being drift into nothing as he centered on the swim.

He knew his friends were out at Nicky's, the local hangout spot, but he didn't care, he needed his daily release. Reid, his best friend always chastised him for dedication.

"You're such a suck up, Ty" the blonde smirked one night as Tyler met up with his friends, hair still wet from the pool, "we all know you're just trying to get Coach Robins on side so you can go to the Gloucester meet next month"

Tyler had laughed along, and replied "Better use of my time than sleeping my way through the girl's team".

Caleb and Pogue chuckled whilst Reid put on his normal smug, egotistical smile, shrugging his shoulders, "Hey, what can I say? I've got to keep my fitness levels up somehow".

Next to him, Caleb grabbed the younger boy by the head, "maybe, if you didn't miss practice so much, you wouldn't need the extra workout"

Reid knocked his friend away, a look of playful defiance on his face.

They were always like that, Reid and Caleb. Right now, they were probably sparring over pool or some girl. Pogue would be watching over them, keeping it playful. Tyler pushed these thoughts aside, replacing them with self-assesment. He felt how his muscles contracted and relaxed, rolling under his skin. He lowered his left shoulder as he felt his neck start to twinge slightly.

The wall drew closer and automatically Tyler felt his body curl and tense. His tumble was quick and agile, building power in his legs and exerting it fully against the tiles, pushing his body a good five meters through the water. Tyler pulled his shoulders out of the water, sliding back into his rhythm: arms, legs, arms, legs.

That was when he saw her, Christina Albright, dressed in her bright red bathing suit, and suddenly his focus was lost. He felt his rhythm slow, the pull of his arms pushing his body up rather than forward in an attempt to see her better. Through his dark-lensed goggles he watched as she pulled her long dark hair into a ponytail, walking towards the tall lifeguard chair. The guy sitting up there smiled in her direction, scooting down a couple of steps. She smiled back.

Tyler felt the quality of his stroke ebb slightly, water occasionally filling his mouth as he breathed, not enough to stop him, just a sign that his mental escape was long gone. Through his concntration, he heard her laugh lightly. She was laughing with the guy on the chair as he leapt down, allowing her to take his place. Oddly enough Tyler felt jealous. He saw Christina every day at school and at the pool, but he'd never spoken to her. They ran in different groups. She was a studious scholarship student, working as a lifeguard to save for college. Her friends were laid-back, casual girls, the kind that were happy to stay on the edges of social politics, listening to the rumours rather than being a part of them. Tyler was the opposite, a legacy with his family name to uphold. He and his friends were royalty – socially speaking at least. They were expected to attend all the best parties, hang out with the most popular girls, be a part of as many rumors as the gossip mill could create.

The only thing they had in common was swimming although Tyler didn't even know which was her swim or how fast she was. It was only her well-balanced, athletic physique that gave him any guess at her sport of choice

The wall approached again and he tensed, ready for his tumble. As soon as she left his sight, his mind sprang back into action, his rhythm speeding, his pulls deepening, his breathing simple: in and out, in and out. Without her in full view, his mind dutifully pushed her into the box labeled 'not for now' but the memory of her was strong, her silver-grey eyes, her delicate jawline and her strong, sunkissed body slipping out through the box lid. Hard as he could, he pushed the lid down trying his best to regain the peace he normally felt.

He turned again, pushing hard in an attempt to silence his mind with physical exhaustion. This time, he kept his eyes solely on the tiles in front of him and below him, keeping his gaze low although he felt her watching with those silver eyes trained exclusively on him.

He was used to girls staring at him. He wasn't as althletic as Pogue, or as reckless as Reid or as sweet as Caleb but by being tied to them, Tyler was automatically classed as a notable conquest. He didn't think of himself as attractive but when girls realized Pogue and Caleb were off the market and Reid was an ass, they usually turned to him and as if he would turn them away, he was a teenage boy after all. But the way Christina looked at him now was different to the way girls normally looked at him. Instead of eyeing him as some kind of achievement to cross of the list of things to do before graduation, she looked at him with a new expression, a mixture of confusion, surprise and was that lust? He must be imagining it though: it wasn't like he had a clear view of her face. She was probably just noticing the major flaws that had crept into his technique due to his distraction. With a conscious effort, he pulled his mind back into the present. Nothing would ever happen between the two of them, it was too impossible, their lives too different to work. He needed to focus, the Gloucester meet was only two weeks away and the state championship trials only five days later. Ty felt his limbs respond to the new surge, speeding up, finding the best positions and movements to increase the efficiency of his stroke, pulling him faster through the water. The focus held strong as he pushed through the rest of his warm-up and his sprints and exercises. He'd practically forgotten her intense stare as he heaved himself out of the pool. She still sat on her perch, chatting idly with Olivia van der Waal, captain of the girls swim team. Taking one last look, he tried to memorise every detail from her bright, wide smile to the way her foot twitched as she spoke, even the way she subtly surveyed the pool whilst keeping up her conversation, keeping her job first and foremost. So he couldn't be with her, but he could still watch her right?

As he turned his head to start towards the showers, he felt a silvery gaze on his back. He looked back but she was scanning the pool again. Obviously, he'd just imagined it again.

Tyler shook his head lightly, he needed to snap out of it. He was Tyler Simms, a Son of Ipswich and he could have any girl he liked, any girl except the one that he saw every day.

He sighed and carried on to the showers, not noticing the way Christina watched him go, silver eyes full of longing. Full of wishing for a boy she could never have.


	2. Chapter 2

Christina Albright knew she wasn't anything special, not the prettiest or the smartest or the fastest but she was OK with that. After all if everyone were special, no one would be right? At Spenser Academy, she was often looked down on by other students since her father was a mechanic and her mother was a secretary. She'd gotten a full scholarship that paid all her tuition and living costs but she had to work hard to keep her place unlike the legacy students who coasted through doing the minimum possible and had their parents buy them into the Ivy League of their choice. But she was OK with that too. After all every school had slackers, it was just that here they were mostly snobby rich kids too.

She sat in her chair, barely listening to her captain as she watched Tyler retreat into the male locker room. His golden skin rippled over his muscled shoulders as he walked. Christina didn't mean to but her gaze slowly started to drop taking in his toned back, noting the curve of each vertebrate and the tensing of each muscle. Lower and lower her gaze moved until she was looking straight as his amazingly cute butt. God he had a good butt, she could stare at it all day. She wondered what it felt like: soft as it looked or firm from all of his training. But all too soon Olivia called her attention back.

"Chrissie, did you hear what I said? Hey, I'm talking to you"

The brunette shook her head lightly, snapping back into the present instead of her little perverted fantasy.

"Sorry, just lost my focus. What were you saying?" she replied, keeping her gaze 50:50 between Olivia and the pool.

The captain sighed, she knew Christina was a good swimmer but she could be so much better if she just learnt to concentrate. In one practiced move, Olivia twisted her blonde hair into her standard issue black swimming cap and looked at the younger student.

"I was inviting you to Nicky's after practice tomorrow" Olivia sighed, "You know, for a little team building like Coach suggested. I think if we can come together a bit more, we'll be able to go to state with the guys. Lord knows some of them need taking down a peg or two".

Christina felt a smile cross her lips, she knew Olivia was referring to a certain Reid Garwin who seemed to have made it his personal mission to hook up with every girl on the team, including Olivia. Reid constantly teased her about it too, finding it hilarious that the inhumanly driven swim team captain slipped up so spectacularly and slept with the schools man whore, a title he seemed a little too proud of, behind the dumpsters at Nicky's.

Chrissie pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, looking out at the pool. It was free swim and a couple of freshmen were messing about in the deep end, nothing serious but she kept an eye out just in case.

"Sure, I'll come but only if you can guarantee me Lily Swope won't bring her boyfriend. I'd like to enjoy my food thanks"

The girls laughed, Lily and her boyfriend were just about the sickliest sweet couple, complete with nicknames like 'cupcake' and 'bunny'.

Olivia nodded, taking a couple of steps closer to the edge tiles, "I will try my hardest"

Christina turned her attention fully to the pool as Olivia entered the water, her years of self-criticism making her dive seem effortless and perfectly efficient.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, unsurprising since only students and teachers used the pool and most students were in one of the many swim or diving teams. Spenser made joining a sports team a mandatory extra-curricular and since swimming was an indoor, heated sport, most kids picked it.

As she pulled on her sweats and gathered her stuff she heard James, her co-worker for the night, yell to her.

"You almost done in there? I got places to go, people to see, baby"

She opened the door and smiled sweetly, "hoping for a bit of action are we Jamie? Because I think there's as much chance of that happening as there is of Bloom giving me an extension on my modern politics assignment".

She walked past him towards the exit and James automatically fell in step beside her.

"Oh contraire, mon ami" he grinned, "I happen to know a certain fiery haired junior has been asking after me".

Christina burst into laughter, "You are not referring to Jessica Alcott are you? The buck toothed, lacrosse player in our Bio class?"

James' grin faltered slightly but he replied with bravado "The very one"

They walked into the cool November air, the doors swinging soundlessly behind them.

Christina rethought her earlier judgment. Usually James only went for the classically pretty, well-endowed variety of Spenser girls but maybe he wasn't as shallow as she'd once thought. Maybe he was growing up and Jessica was really sweet. They'd been lab partners last year and she'd always covered for Christina when she slipped up on their shared assignments or mucked up an experiment.

"Good for you" she now smiled, nudging her friend lightly with her shoulder.

"Don't patronize me Albright"

"I wasn't, I…"

She was cut off as someone knocked into her shoulder, sending her flying into James. Her bag flew from her grasp, spraying its contents across the tarmac. Immediately, she bent down, quickly stuffing her things back into her beaten up sports bag.

"Sorry", her knocker exclaimed, immediately bending to help pick up her stuff.

She rolled her towel back into the bag, "It's OK, I wasn't watching were I was going".

Everything was off the floor and as she stood up, two tan hands held out her hairbrush and battered flip-flops. She recognized those hands, she'd stared longingly at them and the rest of the body they were attached to for almost three years now.

He smiled that breathtaking smile she loved, "No, it was entirely my fault, I should have been paying better attention".

Shock quickly took over her body and she stood frozen for a moment, eyes wide, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Her brain refused to function although her body wouldn't have responded to it anyway.

She noted James looking between her and Tyler, urging her silently to move.

"Thanks" James smiled, taking her things from Tyler, "Have a nice night"

Tyler smiled again, "You too"

She knew her brain wasn't working right at that moment but she could have sworn he was looking at her the entire time, barely registering James. Except that was silly of course, he was Tyler Simms who dated exclusively from the pool of Spenser elite.

He turned and continued to the swim centre and she watched him go, kicking herself for her complete meltdown.

James knocked her from her freeze, "What was THAT about?"

She shook her head, banishing the confused befuddlement.

"Nothing, come on lets go"

James shook his head, obviously not believing her but he let the subject drop.

They walked in silence the rest of the way back to the dorms.


	3. Chapter 3

I just want to say thank you to everyone who's reviewed. I know that I can't always be bothered to review so thank you so much for taking the time to R&R. You are all amazingly brilliant people! Thank you for being so nice! It makes me feel all fluffy inside lol.  
I realised that I haven't added any of the disclaimer stuff so here goes:  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the covenant boys or sarah or kate, I do however own my own characters like Christina, Olivia and James. Done  
Here's another chapter for anyone still reading, I hope you like and can find a couple of seconds to review it. Please don't be afraid to be brutal and criticise. I love all the amazing positive reviews but the negative ones help you grow. Anyway, ENJOY!

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By the time Tyler returned to the dorms, his cell phone back in his possession, it was almost 10 o'clock, otherwise known as lights out when the main doors of the dormitory buildings were locked – no exceptions. This was presented as a way to protect the students from murderous rapists and bloodthirsty thieves but it also acted as a barrier to keep the rowdy irresponsible delinquents - like Reid Garwin - out.

True to form Reid had yet to return, his empty bed lying unmade as Tyler strode in to the shared room. The differences in their personality brought a stark divide to the space.

Reid's side was what he liked to call a perfect example of organized chaos. His school books sat, untouched and dust covered, in a tiny corner of the desk, the rest of the dark wood hidden under a clutter of colorful paraphernalia including a Luke Skywalker action figure and a signed topless picture of Pamela Anderson. Clothes lay un-ironed across the floor and a slightly green slice of pizza peaked out from under the bed along with a few empty beer bottles.

Tyler's half was, in contrast, simplistic and tidy. His blazer was carefully hung on the closet door hook next to his towel and wash bag. His books and binders were lined up neatly on his shelf, the desk below it bare save for his laptop, a lamp and a pen pot.

He let out a small sigh as he shrugged off his jacket. Reid was probably still at Nicky's and would be there until Nicky chucked him out at closing time, forcing him to walk the 5 kilometers over to the Garwin mansion. He'd probably stroll into first period late and blame his tardiness on some family crisis or another.

Tyler had given up trying to lecture his brother in all but blood about time keeping and responsibility but it was just a waste of breath and besides he enjoyed the privacy Reid's behavior gave him. For one, it let him carry out all night study sessions with no interruption.

Tonight was Algebra, oh what fun. This was the one downside of his intense training regime: no time for studying for important midterm tests like the one Mr. Lindberg had sprung this week. Maybe he should have started studying earlier but he'd been so tired after practice he'd slept until dinner, waking only when a concerned Pogue had practically battered down the door.

"Dude, I've been calling you for the past ten minutes, why didn't you pick up?" he'd demanded once a very confused Tyler had opened the door.

Tyler shrugged, rubbing a fist against his eyes in an attempt to wake up, "must have left my cell at the pool"

"Well, you better get moving, they're going to stop serving in like…5 minutes" Pogue replied, glancing at his watch.

He chuckled as the younger boy's stomach growled angrily in response. Tyler would have blushed but he was in the middle of pulling on an old sweatshirt and rushing to get out the door and down to the dining hall.

It was a pretty conventional set up: join the queue, grab a tray and pile it high with whatever seems most appetizing or least likely to be classed as a biohazard. Tyler chose something resembling lasagna but could also have been enchiladas. He pulled up a seat at his usual table, sitting next to Sarah, Caleb's girlfriend, and began bolting down the food as if it were his last meal.

"Woah" Sarah exclaimed, watching the brunette practically inhale his food, "someone's hungry".

Tyler slowed, slightly embarrassed but not enough to stop completely.

"Missed lunch" he explained between chews, "went to see Coach Robbins about some extra coaching sessions".

As he said this, Pogue slumped into the chair opposite with a bowlful of chocolate pudding perched carefully in his hands.

"You need to start slowing down Ty, it's not healthy to try keeping this up so long" Pogue warned, slurping down the pudding almost straight from bowl.

Sarah rolled her eyes at Pogue table manners but turned to Tyler, "I agree with Pogue, you need to take a night off".

Tyler stayed quiet because he knew they were right but swim practice was the only time he could see Christina. It might not be healthy but it improved his times and gave him his daily Albright fix, helping him make it through the day. Seeing her smile or watching her laugh was like a drug to him and he needed that high. It was kind of creepy but he didn't care - she was his addiction and being hooked on a girl was better than getting himself hooked on alcohol or cigarettes right?

Sarah lightly took his hands, forcing his attention away from his food, "Come with us to Nicky's tomorrow night. Play some pool, have a few laughs. It won't kill you alright?"

Looking into her intense stormy grey eyes it felt impossible to say no. The expression on her face was bright and warm but something in her eyes gave him the impression she would drag him out with a rope around his neck if he refused. No way did he want that so he nodded, unable to voice the defeat. He could go one day without seeing her right? It wasn't like he needed to see her in order to survive, his addiction wasn't that strong. Not yet at least.

But that night after bumping into her, literally, he rethought his earlier judgment. Watching her as she rushed to pick up her things was somehow mesmerizing. Feeling her silver gaze on his arms and hands as he handed back her flip-flops and hairbrush was like basking in sunshine and when she'd actually looked at him, it was like everything else melted away into insignificance. It was frightening how much of a hold she had on him considering the fact they'd never even spoken. It was as if some unknown force was dragging them together and in the words of the Borgs "resistance is futile". Trying to imagine a life without any kind of contact was like trying to imagine a life without breathing: completely impossible.

Tyler realized he'd been daydreaming as he looked back over the last line of his notes. He was no Algebra whiz but he could be pretty certain that 2ac over x did not equal Star Trek.

Maybe Sarah was right and he did need to take a night off but not from swimming, from Christina. This addiction was definitely not healthy and he needed to go cold turkey.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! **Sorry **I haven't updated in a while. Exams start next week and I've been so bogged down in revision it I've barely had time to do anything other than study lol. Anyway, here's a new chapter but sorry if it's a tad on the rubbish side. I wanted to take a bit longer on it but I didn't want anyone to think I'd abandoned this already, lol, so I hope you like it  
**Please R & R**! I would be eternily gratefull! Flames accepted also since everyone needs a bit of balance in their lives  
xxx

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The morning passed by in a blur to Christina. She'd been forced to work the early shift at the pool which had both its positives and its negatives. On the plus, Provost Higgins allowed her to skip first period – AP English, not exactly her favorite class of all time. On the downside, it forced her from her bed at 5.30 in the morning.

As the alarm buzzed loudly on her bedside table she heard her room mate, Isabelle groan and roll over and wished she could do the same but she needed that $10 an hour. Trying her best not to disturb Iz, Christina pulled on her bathing suit and threw some reasonably clean-looking sweats over the top. She pulled a granola bar from a family-size pack under her cluttered desk and began munching, pulling her sleep-knotted hair into a rough ponytail between bites.

As much as she complained about working the early shift, she loved walking through the campus when everyone was still asleep. It was peaceful somehow and quiet enough for undisturbed thinking. As she walked through the thick grove of trees, listening to the sounds of her sneakered feet against the tarmac path, her thoughts turned to the upcoming Gloucester meet and state qualifiers. Every swim team in school was obsessed at the moment, every coach and captain trying to book as much pool time for their respective teams as possible. The freshman boys had 3 sessions today alone and Olivia was trying to extend the pools opening hours to get the Varsity girls a few late night sessions. It was crazy but by striving for perfection the school's teams were almost famous. Three of the country's Olympic swim team had attended Spenser and scouts came to almost every meet the Spenser teams attended. It was rumored that both Caleb Danvers and Pogue Parry were being closely watched by Olympic coaches. Most of the scholarship students were brought in because of their swimming ability. Christina herself had been the number one swimmer at her middle school and so in an attempt to better her chances of getting in to Yale, she'd applied to Spenser's scholarship program. She remembered the shock on her first day of training. Everyone had been so amazing. She immediately went from being the best swimmer that everyone relied on to being an average swimmer with good potential. It had been hard at first but eventually she'd learnt there was no point trying to compare herself to girls like Olivia and Lily. Christina had learnt it was better to compete only with herself and ignore everyone else. It was the only way to stay grounded in a school full of amazing athletes otherwise jealousy would turn a person bitter and angry and she definitely didn't want that.

By the end of first period as she changed into her uniform, she could feel herself drooping, the early morning wake-up taking its toll. World History was a nightmare as she struggled to keep her heavy eyelids open and try to at least feign concentration and interest. By morning break it was all she could do to walk the 100 yards to the cafeteria for the largest coffee she could possibly lay her hands on. Sitting at her usual table did not help either: listening to Lily and Isabelle compare make-out stories in annoyingly high-pitched and chirpy voices just made her feel more tired as she struggled to keep up, although their unthinking jabber did only require her to nod or smile occasionally.

It was then that she realized Lily had been speaking to her.

"Sorry what was that?" Christina asked, trying in vain to rub the tiredness from her eyes.

Lily rolled her eyes and flipped her long curly blonde hair behind her shoulder, "I said do you guys mind if I come over later so we can coordinate our outfits for tonight?"

"That's so stupid Lily" Isabelle smirked, "It's just Nicky's, not dinner with Jake Gyllenhaal".

Christina frowned, "Since when are we going to Nicky's? Don't we have a late practice tonight?"

"No Chrissie, late practice is tomorrow and Nicky's is tonight. You need to get some more rest, you're falling asleep over there" Isabelle joked, watching as the brunette struggled to keep her eyes open as she sipped her coffee.

She shrugged, "Caffeine is the way forwards my friend. Who needs sleep when you can get all of the same benefits from a hot cup of Joe?"

Isabelle just shook her head in response, returning to her conversation with Lily, the two now debating whether Jake Gyllenhaal looked better with short hair or long hair.

They were always like this, chocolate and cheese, two things that shouldn't go together but somehow did. Isabelle was a tomboy, driven by her competitive nature and always looking for the next adventure. Lily on the other hand was much more conserved and a hundred times more girly. Where Isabelle was straight to the point and almost brutal in her opinions, Lily flounced around the topic, trying to please everyone and stay on their good side. They were a deadly pairing when they wanted to be.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur wit exhaustion making concentration almost impossible for Christina. She was being grouchy and she knew it, snapping at James during Bio Lab when he'd dropped a test tube, arguing with Isabelle over the meaning behind one of Macbeths monologue in Lit class and of course practically yelling at the school librarian for scolding her late return of some books.

She made the decision at lunch to skip her last two classes – Modern Politics and Creative Media – opting instead to sleep. It was a no-brainer, a simple choice between falling asleep at her desk only to be woken by some angry teacher or cut and have a good long nap in her own comfortable bed. As soon as the first bell signaling the end of lunch, she snuck through the back doors of the cafeteria. Everyone knew cutting behind the kitchens and across the faculty parking lot was the quickest way to get to the upperclassman dormitory buildings without being seen. The only problem would be getting past Mr. Logan. It was common knowledge that he spent every lunchtime sitting in his beaten-up, rusted red 1969 Roadrunner listening to old Smiths songs and having a few smokes before afternoon classes began. Provost Higgins disapproved of smoking on school grounds, faculty included, so it was almost a proven fact that Mr. Logan was given his exemption in return for preventing students cutting class and going to the dorms during school hours.

As she rounded the corner, keeping low and readying herself for a crouched sprint through the mass of expensive cars, she spotted Logan's car, smoke slowly trickling from the driver's side window. It was to the left of the main doors but he would definitely have a clear view so that way was a no go. It also meant climbing the fire escape on the left of the building was also out of the question. That left the basement entrance at the back which meant heaving open an ancient iron trapdoor, walking through a pitch black corridor, climbing over unused furniture and finally hoping she could remember the access code for the door into the building.

She sighed, was a couple of hours of sleep really worth that much? But she'd made up her mind and if she turned back now, there would be a detention in her future for sure. Sighing again, she adjusted her bag strap and readied herself for the obstacle course ahead. But then a miracle happened: Logan jumped out of his car and strode towards a clump of pristine shrubbery by the corner of the building. He shoved one fist into the bush and came out with a fistful of shirt and blazer. Inside the shirt was none other than Reid Garwin, face set in an expression of amusement and defiance. Logan was yelling, his back to the dormitory entrance and Christina saw her perfect opportunity.

She sprinted as much as she could in a crouch to the edge of the cars then slowed to creep over the grass verge, across the small road and up the steps. Logan was really digging in to Reid, pointing his finger accusingly in the blondes face but nothing seemed to faze the rebellious student. He simply flashed his signature relaxed smile, chuckling every now and then. As Christina looked over in one last check before entering the building, she noted Reid looking back in her direction over Logan's shoulder. He wouldn't snitch on her would he? She pleaded with her eyes, begging him not to give her away. The brunette watched uneasily until Reid sighed a little, smirked and shook his head. Christina beamed, sure he was on her side and mouthed a thank you in his direction, he chuckled.

Exhaustion and relief took over as soon as her foot hit the parquet flooring of the main corridor. She walked in a blur to her room and crashed out completely. The next thing was conscious of was Isabelle storming into the room.

"I cannot believe some guys!" she fumed, throwing her bag onto her unmade bed.

Christina pushed her bed-head hair from her eyes and looked over at her friend.

"What has he done now?" she replied, voice raspy from sleep. She noted that she was wearing her old Spongebob T-shirt and Snoopy Pajama pants although she couldn't remember changing.

Isabelle huffed, pulling off her blazer and shoes, "He's decided to follow us out on our girls night out tonight. He won't let me have even one night of freedom!"

Christina shook her head. Isabelle's relationship with her boyfriend Alfie was always full of drama, her outspoken, straight to the point ways clashing with his quiet determination. The pair could turn from Romeo and Juliet to Sharon and Ozzy in ten seconds flat but they were the ultimate power couple, feeding from each others success with their competitive natures pushing them both to try and better the other in any way possible. This however did sometimes create their most explosive arguments like the time Alfie had gotten higher than Isabelle in a pre-SAT or when Isabelle beat Alfie's PB 400m freestyle time.

Christina sat up, pulling her swim team jumper over her head.

"What do you mean he won't let you have on night of freedom?" she freed her hair from the collar, letting it fall across her shoulder in loose waves.

Isabelle puffed again, emptying a couple of folders onto her desk, "When I told him about tonight, he just invited himself along. He said that we hadn't hung out in forever which is ridiculous because we have homeroom together every day and pre-SAT sessions every Thursday"

Christina couldn't help but let a small burst of laughter escape her lips but silenced it quickly as Isabelle shot daggers from her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing" the brunette replied, "It's just that homeroom and pre-SAT don't really count as 'hanging out' do they?"

"Not the point C, tonight is supposed to be girls night! Team bonding! I can't do that and spend time with him, it doesn't work that way"

"Have you explained that to him?"

"No" Isabelle replied, coming up short, "but it doesn't matter, he's an idiot"

Christina shrugged. It didn't matter what Iz said right now, she'd be loved up again by dinner, joking and kissing and making fun of him like she always did, feigning hurt when he teased her back. It was an endless cycle of arguments and true love. Watching them though, Chrissie couldn't help but think relationships were far too much hardwork to even consider. She barely had the time to maintain her A grade average, work at the pool and attend swim practices, let alone adding a relationship to the mix. That was probably why she contented herself with the stalker-esk behavior she'd developed as regards a certain popular brunette boy. It was much less time consuming and much more satisfying – she could create the perfect relationship in her mind so who needed a half-baked attempt?

Sighing Christina heaved herself out of bed, readying herself for a night of burgers, gossip, and pool. Who needed imaginary boys anyway when you had junk food and a jukebox?


	5. Authors Note: Sorry!

Hey guys!

First off, I wanna say I haven't abandoned this fic and I want to apologize for the lack of updating.

The main reason I haven't added anything in a while is because I've been in Africa (southern Malawi to be exact) this past month and got back yesterday evening. It was amazing but meant I had no access to computers, or at least no cheap access anyway. But I'm back now with lots of new ideas.

Please don't fret! I'll hopefully be adding a couple of new chapters this week since all that's on my agenda for a while is unpacking and sleeping!

Anyway, hope you've all been having good summers and sorry for the temporary disappearance. All will be well soon!

P.S. thanks for the reviews


	6. Chapter 5

Hi guys! I just want to apologise for not posting in SOOOOOOOOOOOO long! life has been a tad more hectic than planned and a touch of writers block has not helped. Anyway, i'm sorry but here's another chapter and i apologise in advance if there's any silly typo's or grammar errors, been rushing to get it finished and haven't checked as thoroughly as i normally do. Enjoy and please find the time to R&R. i really do appreciate it, even the nagging for more chapters, it motivates me! xxx

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The bar was already filling up when Tyler arrived, the air heavy with cigarette smoke and the stale smell of spilt beer. Pogue led the group, his arm draped around Kate's shoulders, Reid behind him and Tyler trailing in the back with Sarah. Caleb was already sitting at their usual table, talking with Lucas Church but as he noticed the approaching group, Lucas made his excuses and stood up heading over to another group of Spenser students at the jukebox.

The group settled, Sarah immediately taking her place at Caleb's as Reid snuck off to the pool tables, ready to make his bets for the night.

Tyler couldn't help himself feel a little out of place as the two couples began chatting idly, lost in their own little worlds. He watched Kate and Pogue's playful flirting and Sarah and Caleb's quiet intimacy and thought how the definition of third wheel had never seemed so appropriate, or maybe it should be fifth wheel? The couples were so lost in their own little worlds it felt like if he suddenly jumped up on the table and striped down to his birthday suit, they'd still be completely oblivious.

Scanning the room, he saw a couple of guys from the swim team playing foosball, some girls he recognized from a party a few weekends back, and of course Reid watching a group of girls playing pool, lacey bra's completely exposed as they bent over to take their shots.

"Hey, guys?" he started, but no one looked up, "I'm just going to go and, you know, drink a bottle of arsenic or something. Anyone wanna join me?"

"Yeah, sure, in a minute Ty" Caleb replied, barely taking his eyes off of Sarah, and Tyler couldn't help a low chuckle escape his lips as he got up and made towards the pool tables.

"Hey, Baby Boy" Reid grinned as he hit his knuckles against the brunettes.

Tyler smiled in response, "checking out the prospects for the night eh?"

They both made their way towards a free pool table, picking up cues as they went.

"Yes, anything's better than trying to endure the love fest going on back there" the blonde smirked as he pushed a quarter into the tables slot, releasing the balls, "and it looks I've got my wing man back"

That was when Tyler saw her. It was like some sixth sense flared up inside of him and his head turned without any formal consent from his brain. A stream of girls entered the bar in a cloud of lip gloss, perfume and excited chatter. He recognized a couple of them but with only vague interest and was about to turn his attention back to his friend when he caught sight of long dark hair and soft peachy skin and the world evaporated. There she was: the girl of his dreams, utterly oblivious to him and yet the universe to him. She was deep in chat with Isabelle Percy who he sat behind in Film and another girl with curly blonde hair that he vaguely recognized. They made their way over to one of the booths in the back. It was crazy, and he knew it, but all he could focus on was the way her startlingly silver eyes scanned the room, the way her rose petal lips curved upwards slightly at a joke and the way her light blue dress bunched up slightly as she walked, exposing her thigh a little more with each step. He became transfixed by that dress, praying the cotton would inch just a little higher.

Thankfully he was pulled from his fantasy before the effects became physical by a hard punch in the shoulder.

"Dude, are we playing or what?"

Tyler looked up and saw Reid's trademark grin but there was a flicker of knowing in his eyes like he knew exactly what his younger friend had been thinking just moments before. The brunette felt his face flush red.

"Yeah, yeah, 'course"

They played like they always did with playful banter and bickering, cussing as they missed a shot, bragging when they made one. It was a good distraction and Tyler became more himself with each turn although he was still painfully aware of every move Christina made and every time her silver gaze swept in his direction which seemed a lot but the pool tables where crowded so it could have been anyone she was sneaking glances at.

The game ended as Reid potted the black - to any innocent bystander the shot was made with a combination of skill and luck but Tyler saw the telltale flash of Reid's eyes.

The blonde let out a yell of triumph as the ball fell with a satisfying thunk into the corner pocket, "I guess that makes me the winner".

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Reid"

"You're just jealous that I'm better than you".

"Depends", Tyler replied, "are we still talking about pool?"

Another knowing grin crossed Reid's lips and he straightened up, placing the cue he was holding against the wall.

"It's good you're out Ty, I'm tired of flying solo"

Reid threw his arm around the younger boy's shoulders and roughed his hair. If anyone else had tried it Tyler would have put up a fight but Reid was the exception to every rule.

They'd grown up closer than brothers, a tight unit within the sons of Ipswich, each keeping the others secrets even from Caleb and Pogue. Tyler still remembered the night the summer before last when Reid had bundled through his second storey window, covered in dirt and eyes wild with misadventure.

"What are you doing?" Tyler had whisper-shouted, trying to sound annoyed and grown up but full of childish excitement and curiosity.

He'd been researching college swimming programs with his music on low since his parents had gone to bed an hour or so ago and god forbid he wake them.

It was dark but the pale moonlight creeping through the curtain glinted off Reid's exposed teeth as he grinned a sly smile although his breathing was still ragged, as though he'd been running.

He pulled off his jumper and shirt, "I'm going to sleep is what I'm doing"

Before Tyler could protest the blonde had leapt into his bed, throwing the covers up and over himself in his own uniquely messy way.

Tyler saw nothing else for it and jumped onto the huge lump in the middle of the bed, jerking the covers back.

"Hey!" Reid had protested, trying in vain to pull the comforter back over his head.

Tyler kept the huge grey cover held high and retorted, "You can sleep in my bed, when you tell me why you're in it"

The blonde huffed, sitting upright and trying to look reluctant but the grin was still there, teeth shining.

"OK", he began and Tyler dropped the blankets, sitting opposite his friend, eyes eager and curious.

"You know Remmy Jackson?"

Tyler nodded, and Reid continued, "She threw a party tonight at her parents house down by Marble Head and of course Katie Pembleton was there"

The brunette nodded again, now a little suspicious of what might have happened since Katie was Calebs current girlfriend.

"Dude, it was so f*cked up, we were drinking and dancing and laughing, you know how it is"

The blonde was getting animated and Tyler was nodding and smiling as if he too 'knew how it was' but they both knew he didn't.

"So we were in this bedroom, getting to it, and suddenly Katie's phone starts ringing and it's Caleb and he's all 'I'm coming over baby'"

Reid put on a very bad imitation of Caleb, his voice deep, his accent overly posh

"Naturally we both start freaking out, and she was seriously freaking out, screaming at me as if I''d raped her or something, so I just ran for it, kept running 'til I got here and that's it. Night"

That was it, without another word, Reid rolled over and fell fast asleep and to this day Tyler still didn't know why the blonde had run there and not home.

Needless to say, Katie and Caleb broke up a week later when he found her with a guy from the lacrosse team at another party but Tyler kept his mouth shut even as Caleb had ranted about the idiot scumbag that had obviously seduced his innocent girlfriend - although he did call her a few not so innocent names during the very loud and very public break up argument.

"I'm going to get some food, you want anything?" Reid suddenly broke into his reverie.

"Yeah" Tyler replied, focus shifting back to the dark smoky bar, "Just grab me whatever you're getting. I'm going to the can"

Reid nodded and traipsed off in the direction of the bar.

By the time Tyler returned, he could see his food had been donated to Reid's latest conquest, a tall blonde with definite assets. He shook his head and started making his way over to his friend when he heard a commotion over to his left, by the pool tables. Tyler looked over and saw Aaron Abbot harassing some girl. Normally he would have walked away, it was none of his business after all, but then he caught sight of long mahogany hair and a tan arm and suddenly he was striding towards Aaron, no idea what to do or what to say, just knowing he had to do something.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi Guys! **OK first off I want to make the biggest of all apologies to you all! **I am sooooooo sorry it's taken me so long to update.** My job has gotten so crazy the past couple of months and I've been so burnt out I just haven't had the energy to do anything which is no excuse but it's the truth. But everything is starting to calm down now and so I have no excuses whatsoever. So from here on out, feel free to poke, prod, harrass and embarass me until I post more, I need the pushes!  
So anyway, **here is another chapter.** I'm sorry if it's crappy or rubbish but it's the best I could do with so little thought processing time :P.  
Although I am terrible person for leaving so long to update, I would be so especially grateful if you could find the time to **review**. It would make my day!  
Love xx

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Christina sat in the back booth at Nicky's listening to Una Wallace moan about her latest boy trouble and wishing Lily would hurry up with their drinks. The rest of the girls were scattered around the room, Olivia over by the jukebox and Iz having a heart to heart with Alfie who had insisted on coming out despite her protests.

So far the night was a bust, Christina had spent a good twenty minutes getting ready and for what? To listen to the other girls discuss their latest relationships apparently and then get stuck with the infamous Miss Wallace, a notorious cry baby and drama queen but also the current holder of the school's best 200m fly time.

The blue cotton dress that Christina had wasted at least ten minutes picking out, trying to find the perfect 'I just threw this on' outfit, was already starting to crease as if personifying her restlessness and motivating her to move. The only good aspect of the night was the perfect view this particular booth gave her of the pool tables. In particular, the pool table where Reid Garwin and Tyler Sims were playing. She been watching Tyler as much as she was able to as he talked, laughed and took each shot with so much longing she was sure it would drive her crazy eventually.

Una's crying suddenly kicked up a notch, her face scrunching tighter and her words completely undecipherable, clutching her used Kleenex as if it were a life raft keeping her afloat. Christina placed a hand on the distressed girls back trying to comfort her but her agitation made her a little unsympathetic to say the leas and she couldn't help her attention shift away from Una. It had been at least 15 minutes since Lily had left, was she making the coke herself? And since then all the garnered from Una was that Rick Steinburg had gone to a party with Mumble Mumble and hadn't called her for either four days or more lays. It annoyed her so much that some girls became so hung up on their boy troubles it was almost as if they couldn't function without some kind of drama or soap opera taking over their lives.

Suddenly Lily appeared, in a swathe of pink, and placed 3 coke glasses on the table along with a tall tan blonde (on the seat next to Una of course and not the table).

"Una, sweetie" Lily smiled, causing the depressed redhead to look up, "This is Mark"

As soon as Una saw him her expression suddenly brightened and she hastily began rubbing her smudged mascara away, trying to regain some form of grace and elegance. Christina shot Lily a look that showed both her immense relief and amazement.

The blonde continued with a smug smile on her face, "Mark is the president of the Environmental Awareness Club and he's been telling me all about his latest fundraising idea. Mark, Una has been the chair of the last 3 school dance's, she's a pro at organizing events: you two should talk"

And with that, she pulled Christina out of the booth and over to the pool tables, chucking her a cue as she went.

"OK, that was…magic!" Christina breathed, "How did you just conjure that guy up like that?"

Lily just shook out her hair, and smiled, "Practice, luck and a little bit of fair dust"

"and besides", she giggled, sweeping her long, curly blonde hair over her shoulder, "I couldn't leave one of my best girls drowning in the sorrows of Una cries-a-lot Wallace"

They laughed and Christina began lining up the balls as Lily took a sip of her drink.

"Why, hello there gorgeous"

The brunette looked up from the table to see Aaron Abbot standing a couple of feet away, cue in his hands.

"Can I help you with something?" she replied as Lily took her first shot.

Aaron chuckled lightly, taking a couple of steps closer, "Lets just say I have an itch only you can scratch, beautiful".

Christina couldn't help a burst of laughter escape her mouth but this didn't seem to deter him at all.

"Did you seriously just use that line?" she giggled, shaking her head as she bent slightly to take her shot, and saw Lily's green eyes watching Aaron carefully.

He took another step closer, within touching distance now.

"Come on, baby, you know you want to" he drawled and began trailing his finger up her leg and giving her ass a little slap. He barely touched her skin but it felt dirty and wrong.

She jerked away from him, walking to the other side of the table, "Take the hint Aaron and leave me alone".

As she moved to take her shot again, she felt his breath on her shoulder, far too close for comfort. She was aware of people watching now.

"Just one kiss, babe, one kiss and I'll go" he whispered, gently pushing her dark brown hair behind her shoulder, exposing her pale neck. She couldn't help it but the feeling of his hot breath on her neck did something to her although in her mind it was Tyler's sweet exhale that tickled her throat. He fed on her distraction and quickly tilted her head with his fingers, kissing her fully. Her mouth moved automatically, still caught up in her fantasy until reality caught hold. Suddenly and violently she pulled away, slamming her fist hard across the jaw.

"Get away from me, jerk" she cried, moving further around the table but the persistent Aaron followed her. It was that yell that alerted Tyler, and most of the other people in the bar, that something was going bad.

"Come on, you know you liked it really" he heard Aaron purr but Christina was having none of it. He watched as she dropped her cue, walking back to the booth where the rest of the swim girls sat but Aaron grabbed her arm, pulling her closer. Tyler watched as she squirmed.

As calmly as he could he walked over.

"Come on Abbot, she's not interested" Tyler said, trying to hide his anger but Aaron shrugged off his hand, barely noticing it.

"Why don't you go back to your boyfriend, Sims. This doesn't concern you"

He tightened his grip on Christina's arm and she gasped lightly, her eyes no longer filled with anger or disgust but fear. He was hurting her now, his bruised ego making him act a little more irrationally than normal and it almost looked as though he was taking some pleasure from her main. Tyler's rage built and he struggled to hold it back.

Aaron made to drag Christina and that's when Tyler erupted. Before he knew what he was doing, he slammed his fist into Aarons face, watching as the older boy dropped to the floor, blood already spilling into his hands.

"You little prick" Aaron growled, standing back up and squaring himself off, ready for a fight. That was until Caleb and Pogue turned up, Reid already flanking Tyler - if you take on one Son of Ipswich, you take on them all.

"What was that Aaron?" Caleb asked, though they all knew exactly what Abbot had said.

Realizing he had no chance, Aaron left with a growl, slinking off to lick his wounds.

By now the entire bar was aware of what had happened and therefore so was a majority of the Spenser student body. Tyler was aware of their eyes but his attention was focused solely on Christina. She looked shell-shocked to say the least, her entire frame shaking uncontrollably.

Christina looked down at her arm and rubbed it lightly, knowing it was going to bruise. Tyler watched her, checking for any other signs of hurt or damage. She looked up, silver eyes shining and nodded her thanks but as she tried to smile he noticed tears forming. Without any conscious thought he pulled her into his arms, ushering her to the backdoor. He heard whispers behind him as he led her out but it didn't matter. He'd deal with the fall out later.

She clung to him as she cried, fingers grasping at his jumper. How had this happened? First the incident with Aaron and now she was breaking down in front of Tyler. He probably thought she was such a loser right now.

If only she knew that he was only, no, _could _only think about the feel of her soft hair against his arms and her chlorinated-sunshine smell.

Abruptly though she pulled back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Sorry" she apologized, embarrassed for her breakdown.

Tyler smiled at her, slowly wiping away the trails her make-up had left as she cried, "Don't apologize, you've got nothing to be sorry for"

She smiled a little, looking deep into his bright blue eyes as he stared back, lost in her silver gaze. Without warning though, the backdoor creaked open and out came James.

"What the hell happened in there Chrissie?" he asked, voice full of concern, "Lily said Aaron Abbot practically raped you"

As much as she wanted to stay in that tight embrace with Tyler, she was sure he felt as awkward about it as she should have. She looked to James and let her body drift away from Tyler. James placed his arm protectively around her and nodded to Tyler, who nodded back.

"Thank you Tyler" Christina breathed.

Tyler smiled, "Anytime".

Christina smiled back, keeping her focus on him as long as she could whilst James ushered her back into the bar leaving Tyler with a new feeling of emptiness that he knew only she could fill.


	8. Chapter 7

He sat in the cold for a few minutes after she'd left trying to hold on to the feeling of her soft hair on his arms and her warm body against his chest. When he'd engrained the moment into his brain as much as he could, Tyler stood up and re-entered the bar.

Christina had already gone, he knew, whisked away by her friends. Aaron was licking his wounds in the corner and Reid was back at the bar chatting up the blonde from before and obviously using the almost-fight to his advantage.

"What was that about?" Caleb asked, from behind Tyler. He turned to see Caleb and Pogue staring at him with expressions of concern and confusion.

Tyler shrugged, "nothing, I'm just sick of Aaron being a douche".

"Yeah" Pogue agreed, puffing up and shooting Aaron a look, "he does need putting in his place sometimes".

Tyler couldn't help smile at his friends' easy acceptance of his explanation: no pushing for details, no searching for the real truth, just taking him on his word. But he had a feeling the rest of the school might take a little more convincing. Already he could sense eyes on him, not in the usual way but in the whispering gossipy way. He was pretty much used to it but this felt different, maybe it was because the other person involved was someone he was genuinely interested in rather than someone he kept around for appearance sake.

"Come on, you need to referee for me and Pogue, I'm pretty sure he's cheating" Caleb intervened, sensing his friends unease.

"Hey!" Pogue exclaimed, "don't bring a third party just because you can't beat the fooz-master!"

Tyler laughed and with that, forgot about the stares and whispers and settled into a night of friends and foozball.

Meanwhile, Christina sat in the passenger seat of James' truck as he drove her back to the dorm.

"Are you sure you're OK?" he asked as they pulled into the student lot.

She nodded and he sighed, sure she was just putting on a brave face. In actuality, her mind was racing, going over that moment with Tyler. As she sat in his arms, crying from the shock, she'd been so aware of his warm chest against her arm and his soft breathing across her skin. Now her mind replayed those sensations over and over, converting every minute detail into long term memory and creating a longing in her that was almost terrifyingly intense. Before, she'd thought her crush was just the result of a curiosity for the unknown but now it felt like something bigger, like her soul was being pulled towards his, like the universe was forcing them together, telling her this was meant to be...but that was ridiculous, probably just a result of shock and teenage hormones, after all what girl doesn't feel like that hot, funny, smart guy they'd been crushing on forever is their soul mate?

She needed to go to sleep and try to forget this night ever happened because one thing was for sure: Tyler Simms would never be hers.


	9. Chapter 8

Christina woke up the next morning to the sound of Isabelle singing as she brushed her teeth, it wasn't pretty. She untangled herself from the sheets as Iz reached the chorus of Jollene.

"_Jolene, Jolene, JOLENE, JOOO-LEE- _oh, you're up. Did I wake you?" she had toothpaste dribbling down her chin.

Christina laughed "Only a bit, Miss Parton".

"Feeling better now?" Isabelle asked, wiping the toothpaste foam from her face as she came to sat at the end of Christina's bed.

Chrissie nodded.

"Good, you'll need it to face today".

"What do you mean?" asked Christina, confused by her room mates remark.

Isabelle got up from the bed and walked over to her dresser, "You were 'saved' from Aaron Abbot by Tyler Simms both members of Spenser social royalty, the gossips are going to have a field day".

"But nothing happened, Tyler was just looking out for me, I'm sure he would have done the same for any girl" Christina explained, not quite grasping why last night would be a cause for concern/ excitement.

Izzy shook her head, "Wrong. Last semester Aaron pretty much raped a girl right next to the pool table Tyler and the others were playing at, Tyler only stepped in _after_ Caleb initiated it. That's why it's a big deal, he never starts the confrontations, just gets involved, but he started it for you. That's new so that's worth talking about".

She didn't want to admit it but Iz was right - she knew it too by the smug little smile that appeared on her face. Tyler was never on the front lines of the Abbot- Sons confrontations, just back up but yesterday he was right there, before anyone else, protecting her. But it didn't mean anything did it? Just him growing up and taking control when he had to. He was the closest when it kicked off after all. Yes, that must be the explanation; he didn't hold her in special favour, he was just acting as he thought necessary.

Clearly, however, the rest of the school were on Isabelle's side. As Christina walked to homeroom that morning, all eyes were on her. At first she thought she was imagining it but by the time school finished she was ready to hide in a hole. In first period she'd heard her name whispered twice behind her but both times she'd turned round to find everyone studiously focused on their textbooks and refusing to make eye-contact with her. During Biology she noticed a note being passed around but when it got to their bench James read it first and then screwed it into a ball, shooting daggers at the rest of the class.

"What was that about?" she'd asked as he threw the ball into the waste paper basket.

"Nothing" he'd replied, going back to his work, "Just people being immature".

At lunch she was sure the entire cafeteria had been staring at her as she got her food and sat down with her friends.

"It'll all blow over in a couple of days when the pack have something new and shiny to focus on" Lucy smiled, patting Christina's back after two freshman girls whispered to each other and giggled as they walked past. She wasn't so sure.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same way with stares and whispers and even some pointing. At least in the pool she could block it all out. In the water all she saw was the white tiles below and in front of her and all she could hear was the rush of the water and the sound of her body slicing through it.

As she pulled herself out, she noticed the boys team prepping for their session and there she spotted the spark that had ignited the flames around her: Tyler Simms, golden and shining as he limbered up for his evening session, oblivious to her but all she could see. Before the rumours could spread further she rushed to the changing rooms. Yes, she was working straight after her training session and therefore she was working whilst Tyler trained but that did not mean she would slack at her duties. After preparing herself she walked back onto poolside with all the confidence and calmness she could, took her position, and focused on ignoring the stares from the bleachers.

It was hard to not stare at Tyler as she normally would have done, but she managed it, and by the time she was relieved she couldn't help but smile as she walked back to the changing rooms to get her things and head back to her room for a date with her laptop and copy of Macbeth. That was until she heard a voice call her name.

She turned to see Tyler pulling off his goggles and swim cap, resting his arms on the side of the pool. So gorgeous.

"Hey" he smiled, flashing his perfect white teeth, "How are you feeling?"

Two streams of thought filled her mind at that moment. The first told her to answer, to smile and talk. It told her this could be the start of her realising the fantasies that had filled her thoughts every time she'd seen this boy for as long as she'd been at Spenser. She imagined chatting with him and walking with him and even going on dates with him, all blooming from this first little question. The second simply said walk away, this could be more trouble than it's worth. Look at all the rumours already and that was for something much less significant than a full blown conversation. But she pushed these thoughts away and tried chasing her fantasy for a while.

She turned to him and replied, "I'm good, thanks for asking"

"Good, glad to hear it"

They both smiled for a second and Christina somehow got the feeling this could be the end of their first conversation. She was turning back to the doors when he spoke again.

"So, are you ready for the Gloucester meet?"

He wanted to start a conversation! This had to be a dream. She smiled to herself before turning back and sitting by the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the water.

"I suppose, more than you anyway" she joked, surprised at her own confidence.

He looked a bit taken aback by her comment and for a second she regretted making fun so quickly but then he smiled and she relaxed.

"What's that supposed to mean, Miss Criticism?" he retorted, splashing her leg playfully.

She smiled, "You need to lift your arms more in your freestyle and work on not tilting your head so much when you breathe".

"Duly noted, coach" he nodded, acting as though he took her comments seriously but she wasn't so sure, he was more of a star athlete than her after all.

"Maybe we should go for a swim some time and you can impart your wisdom upon me"

Christina tried to hide her shock. Had he just asked her on a date? Tyler Simms?

He obviously noticed how taken aback she was, "I mean, if you'd rather not that's OK-".

"No, no" she cut in, "That sounds good, you can help me with my technique too"

He shone his dazzling smile at her nearly taking her breath away, like it was a smile just for her and not one he flashed at every girl on a daily basis.

"Cool, how about Thursday? 7pm?"

She nodded "It's a date then"

He flashed that smile again and she felt her cheeks heat up as she realised what she'd just said.

"I mean" she back-tracked, "it's not a date, just two people hanging out...you know what I mean"

"It's a date" he grinned, obviously amused by her complete lack of social skills, she'd never felt more embarrassed.


End file.
